ILO’s Progress Project – Weaving dreams and dignity; A Path from Heritage to Entrepreneurship.

Suranjana Singha, a social science graduate from the Manipuri ethnic community in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh, was born and raised in Kamalganj, Moulvibazar, in a Manipuri ethnic community where weaving is more than just tradition — it is an identity, heritage, and pride. She has grown up learning the intricate art of Manipuri weaving by sitting beside her grandmother and mother as they worked on the back-strap loom, a craft passed down through generations. The colours, patterns, and textures of the textiles were part of their everyday lives — woven not just into fabric, but into our culture and sense of belonging. She has turned a lifelong cultural tradition into a thriving social enterprise. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded her own textile company, drawing on her deep-rooted knowledge of weaving and the skills gained from ILO’s ProGRESS project.

After completing her graduation in Social Science, she had dedicated several years to work in the development sector, focusing on reproductive health with national and international NGOs and UN agencies across Bangladesh. While that work gave her purpose, there was always a lingering question in her mind: how can she preserve and promote their traditional weaving?

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an unexpected turn. She had lost her job — like so many others. With a meagre savings of BDT 60,000 (USD 500), she made a path breaking decision to follow her heart, procuring three weaving machines, threads, and the basic tools needed, and started her own enterprise in Sreemangal — Nimsing Bishnupria Manipuri Tantshilpo. It began with only her, a few machines, and a deep belief in the value of her heritage.

Manipuri weaving isn’t just a craft. It’s a livelihood and a lifeline, especially for women. She had visualised an opportunity to do more than creating cloth — she could create opportunities. Had started training women from the nearby tea garden communities, many of whom were unemployed and had never woven before. Slowly, 20 women became part of her small business — learning, weaving, and earning.

In 2024, she was introduced to the GET Ahead Training organised by a local NGO IPDS under the ILO’s ProGRESS project funded by the Government of Canada. This training was a game changer. She had the skills to weave, but not the tools to run a business. The programme taught her essential entrepreneurial skills: how to grow her business, price her products, set fair wages, increase productivity, and create forward market linkages. She had also learned about gender-based violence and harassment at work — and how to build safer, more respectful workplaces.

This knowledge was empowering — not just for her, but for the women she was working with. She began sharing these learnings in the tea garden communities. Many of these women lived in extreme poverty, often voiceless. Her efforts soon passed over her weaving skills, along with confidence — a sense that they, too, could shape their own futures.

That’s when She had joined the Shared Service Facilities Centre established inside a tea garden in Kamalganj; managed by the community, that helps women gain hands-on weaving skills and learn how to run a business with dignity and independence. As a Master Craftsperson, she managed to provide regular mentoring and coaching. So far, she’ve trained 46 women — 16 of whom have already set up their own looms and are producing and selling their own woven goods.

Every thread woven tells a story — of resilience, of tradition, of dreams reimagined.

This MSME Day (Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day), she celebrates not just her journey, but the collective journey of many women who are turning a traditional art into a sustainable livelihood. Her hope is to see more women do gain economic and social independence — and in doing so, contribute to their families, communities, and to our nation’s development.

From one loom in a small village to a network of empowered women — their enterprise is a proof that small businesses, when rooted in culture and supported with the right knowledge, can create ripples of change.

Team Maverick.